By Samson Ademola
Experts have urged senior male journalists and editors to address gender imbalances in the news, as data shows women appear in only 24 per cent of news content despite accounting for 49.4 per cent of the population and 47 per cent of registered voters.
They made the call during a refresher session organised by Women Radio 91.7FM with support from the Ford Foundation on Friday, 28 November, in Lagos.
The Chief Executive Officer of Women Radio, Toun Sonaiya, highlighted the role of the media in shaping national narratives. She noted that women make up half of Nigeria’s more than 200 million population, stressing the need for fair and balanced representation.
“It is only fair that when we report, we report women fairly the way we report men; that we give women the same attention that we give men; and that we report her positively when she has done something positive. In your editorials, report women as analysts in your programmes, invite women,” she said.
Presenter and producer at Women Radio 91.7FM, Funmi Bamgbala, explained that the marginalisation of women in news content is not due to a lack of expertise but rather because editorial decisions determine who is quoted.
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She encouraged media gatekeepers to be intentional when assigning stories and urged them to ensure that women are consistently featured as experts, resource persons, and guests.
Throughout the sessions, facilitators discussed the importance of diversifying sources, reframing stories to challenge deep-seated stereotypes, and using data to reveal disparities across politics, business, health, and governance. They also examined systemic barriers, including weak editorial policies, safety challenges faced by women in the industry, and the dominance of men in newsroom leadership, that continue to limit women’s visibility.
The Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, drew attention to the severe under-representation of women in political leadership, noting that women hold less than five per cent of seats in the National Assembly. He affirmed that the media has a responsibility to shift this narrative by adopting a more rigorous and accountability-driven approach to reporting.
Mr Arogundade emphasised the need for journalists to consider legislative frameworks, integrate data into their storytelling, apply a social protection lens, and consistently hold public institutions accountable for gender disparities.
Also speaking at the training, the founder of The Young Communicators Initiative, Chinenye Anaemena, urged journalists to resist framing women as victims and instead include women equally as sources, experts, and subjects, while avoiding stereotypes.
“Ensure women are included in reporting and programming on the same level as men, with equitable visibility and voice,” she said.
A balanced media, according to Ms Anaemena, “takes all sides into account and reports women and men in the same proportion; extends the balance to women in hijab, women nuns, and women with disabilities; and includes women who cannot speak fluent English, allowing local languages as subtitles.”
The training preceded the second edition of the ReportHer Awards, hosted by Women Radio in partnership with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) later on Friday at the same venue. The awards celebrated media organisations that have made notable progress in improving women’s visibility and voice through intentional sourcing, inclusive storytelling, and stronger editorial policies.
Media 0rganisations honoured for advancing women’s representation
The ReportHer Awards featured four categories honouring media organisations that demonstrated commitment to improving women’s visibility, leadership, and workplace inclusion.
In the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Reporting Award category, nominees included Social Voices, BONews, and Premium Times, with Premium Times emerging as the winner.
The Inclusive Coverage and Reportage Award featured Social Voices, Naija Feminist Media, and BONews, with BONews receiving the top recognition, while the other nominees were acknowledged for their contributions.
For the Pro-Women Workplace Policy Award, nominees were the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Social Voices, and TVC. NAN won the category for its supportive policies for female staff, including a six-month maternity leave, 14-day paternity leave, crèche facilities at its Abuja headquarters and Lagos office, and provisions for light-duty assignments after resumption.
In the Female Leadership Representation Award, TVC, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) were nominated. FRCN took the award for having 70 per cent female representation in its management team, including 11 women in management positions and six women at deputy director level. The other nominees were also recognised.
An independent board of judges made up of the Founding Director of Equity Advocates, Ene Ede; Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade; and the Founder of the Young Communicators Initiative, Chinenye Asaemena, reviewed the 72 entries received.
Speaking on behalf of the Ford Foundation, Women Radio’s funding partner for the training, Onyinye Onyemobi, the Foundation’s Programme Associate, urged the media to reflect on how they support women, especially those within their newsrooms. She encouraged journalists to pay attention to the struggles women face in the workplace and called on men in the media industry to actively support efforts towards gender equity.
About ReportHer
ReportHer is an annual initiative of Women Radio 91.7FM designed to strengthen the quality, depth, and inclusiveness of reporting on women’s issues in Nigeria. Through training, awards, and continuous engagement with media organisations, the initiative promotes accountability, challenges stereotypes, and amplifies women’s perspectives in public discourse.
